"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isa 55:8-9 NLT).
As I was reflecting on these verses, it occurred to me that God’s ways are not just different and higher, but smaller. There’s something about fallen humanity that worships “BIG” proportions!—and quality is often sacrificed at the altar of quantity—big is better. But in Deuteronomy, God says “The LORD did not choose you and lavish his love on you because you were larger or greater than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations!” (7:7)
This “smaller is better” theme is played out many times in Israel’s history whenever they came up against large enemy armies—but nowhere is it more striking than in the story of Gideon. When it was time to go to war, he gathered 32,000 soldiers. But to make sure they wouldn’t credit the victory to their manpower, God reduced Gideon’s army to a meager 300. And you know the rest of the story.
Here is the principle: God must reduce your strength before He can give you His. “God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong” (1 Cor. 1:27).
I think God is after dependence. God wants us to be dependent on Him in every thing. If we look at the root of the word "depend": >Latin "dependere" = de+pendere (to hang) = to hang down. That means without clinging to Him we are on the floor, literally. He is everything to us and if we are not attached to Him, we cannot receive from Him what we need to live.
ReplyDeleteUnless He takes from us our wrong source of dependence He cannot become the Only Source in our lives.
Today's reflection it's been to me a rhema word. I literally have no strength to do practically anything, but I know it's the continuation of a lesson He's been teaching me lately. You don't learn it overnight, so every day God makes sure that we don't forget we need Him for our very movements.
Due to difficult situations we may lose our strength even in spirit, soul and body, but God is able to turn the situation around and say: I'm going to teach you to depend on me. You are destitute of all strength, now you are going to need me for literally every thing - . That's how He becomes strong in us, through our utter helplessness, By leaning on God you start little by little recuperating things that other people may take for granted. He becomes able in your lack of ability, then you start to appreciate and know the greatness of God in the small details of life. Things that were impossible are now possible and you literally extol Him and worship thing in every single thing you see yourself able to do because you know that apart from Him, apart from leaning on Him and His grace by the minute you would not be able to stand.
Never take for granted the fact that you are able to get up and, get dressed, take a shower or clean your house, or simply go to the bank and run some errands. Be grateful for the strength to get up, the strength to be up all day long and acknowledge Him for the strength He is providing, acknowledge your dependence on Him in every physical aspect of your life. Believe me, it is a miracle.
He wants us to acknowledge our complete natural incapacity for anything and to acknowledge His perfect strength in us.
Thank you, His ways may take a little bit longer than we would like to, but in the end it is worth it. Like the author of Hebrews says: Now no chastening (discipline) seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous; nevertheless -I think that's the key word- afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." So it is not a one time experience but the development of a way of life.
A very good word, Patricia. Thank you.
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